Oven-Off

Just because it’s hot and humid does not mean your desire for something sweet evaporates. And while ice cream is delightful in the summer, no one — OK almost no one — can eat it every day. Enter Faith Durand’s newest cookbook, Bakeless Sweets, guaranteed to satisfy any sweet tooth without stepping near your oven.

The cookbook, filled with mouthwatering photos by photographer Stacey Newgent, is divided into categories of no-bake desserts: puddings, real fruit jellies, mousse and blending puddings, whipped cream desserts and more. Durand, who is executive editor of The Kitchn (thekitchn.com), the popular sister site to Apartment Therapy, also has a lovely index of puddings for every occasion to help you whip through the book more easily and find what you want: 10 quickest recipes, 10 recipes for a big crowd, 10 egg-free recipes are just a few examples.

Durand, who is also the author of Not Your Mother’s Casseroles — if you don’t have it, get it; it’s seriously one of the most family-friendly cookbooks ever — wanted to do this cookbook for one simple reason. She loves puddings. “I love no-bake desserts,” she says. “It feels easy, it feels fresh, and it feeds a lot of people.”

And Durand thought she wasn’t the only person who feels this way. “I was looking through baking cookbooks and realized there was no favorite no-bake cookbook,” she says. “I also saw that there was a lot of interest in it.” Her no-bake strawberry icebox cake recipe on The Kitchn, for instance, is at over 1 million views — and counting.

Here are Durand’s thoughts on some other recipes in the book:

Panna cotta: “Panna cotta is in some ways the perfect dessert. It can be vegan, it can be dairy-free, gluten-free. You can use different amounts of sugar. I can take ingredients out of the fridge and put them back [made] in five minutes flat. It’s really easy. I’m a big ambassador for panna cotta in the summers. It’s one of my favorites.”

Fruit jellies: “Kids love jello. You can make a healthier jello with plain gelatin and fruit juice. It’s an awesome snack for kids without any of that artificial gunkiness. People will be surprised by how easy it is.”

Cornstarch puddings: “I love the malted-milk flavor. It’s very old-school, almost like a soda shop old-fashioned flavor with hot sauce.”

In addition to fabulous desserts, the book chapters are designed to be how-tos for different techniques. “Working with gelatin often freaks people out, which it shouldn’t,” Durand says. “Each [chapter] starts with notes on the methods so people have a basic sense of how to go about it.”

While part of the allure of no-bake desserts is obviously the ease, Durand also appreciates how they allow the full flavors of food to shine through. Take elderflower, for instance. “Jellies are one of the best ways to enjoy a flavor like that,” she says. “You get a pure taste of it as opposed to baking with it.”

“These desserts really show off the best of seasonal flavors,” she adds. “When you can use the fresh juices in the jellies, you enjoy them in a very pure way.”

Peach and Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Peach and Buttermilk Panna Cotta

Makes 6 1/2-cup servings. Gluten-free

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh peaches (2 large), peeled and finely chopped

1 ½ cups cultured buttermilk, well shaken, divided

2 ¼ teaspoons powdered gelatin

¼ cup sugar or to taste

1 ½ cups cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

pinch salt

method

Divide the peaches among the six cups or glasses that hold at least 6 ounces each. Chill the glasses.

Pour ½ cup of the buttermilk into a 2-quart saucepan and sprinkle the gelatin over the top. Set aside for 5 minutes to allow the gelatin to soften. Warm gently over medium heat and stir the sugar in. Heat gently until the gelatin and sugar have both fully dissolved. Then turn off the heat.

Whisk in the remaining buttermilk and the cream, vanilla, cloves and salt. Taste to check sweetness; add more sugar if desired.

Divide this mixture among the chilled cups, pouring it over the peaches. Cover the glasses lightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate the panna cotta and let it set for at least 2 hours — but preferably overnight. The panna cotta can be made up to 3 days ahead and left in the refrigerator, covered.

Scarlet Rose and Berry Pudding with Whipped Cream

ONLINE EXCULSIVE: Scarlet Rose and Berry Pudding with Whipped Cream

Makes 4 cups or 8 servings

Gluten-free, dairy-free

ingredients

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large egg yolks

10 ounces strawberries or mixed berries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

10 ounces raspberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

6 tablespoons sugar

1 lemon, juiced (about 3 tablespoons)

1 teaspoon rosewater

whipped cream

NOTE: Rosewater is a distillation of rose petals. Look for it in the baking aisle or at gourmet shops. Be sure to buy food-grade rosewater.

method

Make a cornstarch and egg yolk slurry by putting the cornstarch and salt in a medium bowl and whisking out any lumps. Slowly pour in 1 cup water, whisking constantly. Whisk in the egg yolks. (To be really sure, reach into the bowl and gently rub out any lumps between your fingers.)

Blend and warm the berries. Puree the strawberries and raspberries with the sugar and lemon juice in a blender until smooth and liquefied. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a 3-quart saucepan. Turn the heat on to high and bring the fruit mixture to a simmer, stirring frequently. Turn off heat.

Temper the slurry by pouring 1 cup of the hot fruit into the bowl with the slurry. Whisk them together. Pour the tempered slurry slowly back into the pan, counting to 10 as you do and whisking vigorously.

Thicken the pudding by turning the heat back on to medium. Bring the pudding to a full boil, whisking frequently; this will take 2 to 5 minutes. Large bubbles will rise up very slowly, making a noise like gloop or plop. Simmer for 2 minutes, whisking frequently. Turn off the heat and whisk in the rosewater.

Chill the pudding. Immediately pour the hot pudding into a shallow container. (If you notice lumps, you can pour the pudding through a fine-mesh sieve to make it smoother.) Place plastic wrap or buttered wax paper directly on the surface of the pudding to cover it. Put a lid on the dish and refrigerate. Chill for 2 hours, or until completely cold, before eating. Best eaten within three days.